


in case you dont live forever...

by N1VA



Series: old stuff new exposure [11]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, Drug Use, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, alfreds not here yet but dont worry he will be, hmm, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29275209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1VA/pseuds/N1VA
Summary: gonna add onto this one at some point bc of the ambiguous ending, thought hey maybe some hurt/comfort/emotional hurt/comfort would be nice
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Bruce Wayne
Series: old stuff new exposure [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149803
Kudos: 8





	in case you dont live forever...

Bruce felt horrible. Not because of the many cuts and bruises littering his body, but because of the state he’d left the Joker in. The guilt and worry was overwhelming.

Bleeding from his nose, his mouth, Bruce could have swore he saw a thin trickle of blood leaking from the man’s left ear. His ribs were most likely cracked, possibly broken. Joker’s fingers on his left hand were mangled. Black rings were already forming around both his eyes.

For a while Bruce thought to take him to the hospital. Joker insisted, slur and all, that he didn’t want to go there, didn’t want to go anywhere expect the penthouse, and please don’t send him back to Arkham yet, and Batsy no please Bats I’ll be good let me stay with you it hurts but I’ll be fine just wanna be with you only you please Bruce…

Bruce broke at the mention of his name coming from the Joker’s split lip. So, he picked the limp man up with ease. Carefully, carefully, slowly, he made his way back to the Tumbler. 

He propped the Joker up in the passenger seat, trying, and failing, to not irritate his injuries worse than they already were. Bruce grabbed one of the many, many first aid kits from the glovebox. 

The latex gloves snapping against his wrist was the only sound in the vehicle besides Joker’s heavy labored breathing. His breath sounded wet, as if there was some kind of fluid in his lungs. Blood, most likely. Bruce wouldn’t be surprised if the Joker had sustained a puncture to one of his lungs. He also wouldn’t be surprised if Joker healed from it all on his own.

Over the years, probably the most intriguing bit of knowledge Bruce had learned about his sometimes nemesis was his incredible indifference to injury. Not to mention Joker had the highest pain tolerance of anyone Bruce had ever met, other than himself of course. He’d seen Joker take straight bullets, and later walk away as if nothing had happened at all. 

It was horrifying and awe inspiring, to say the least.

Bruce swabbed at the Jokers upper bicep, where the fabric was torn enough to let him get at the skin beneath. He took the rubber tie to wrap around Joker’s arm. The needle was long and thin, and he knew the man wouldn’t notice or care in this particular instance about the drugs being pumped into his system. For all his bravado, Bruce knew Joker better than the facade the criminal tossed on when in public. Knew that even Joker did indeed feel pain at times, knew that this was in face one of those times. 

“Hey, hey, Joker, look at me. I need you to look at me for a second.”

Joker grunted and obliged, turning his head to the side to glare at Bruce best he could through the pain and the drugs. His eyes were swollen and streaked with red. 

“You look. You look like shit, Bats. Should uh, get that checked.” Joker managed with a small grin.

“Like you look so much better. Listen, I’m going to give you something else, it’s going to knock you out. I don’t want you to be in… I don’t want you hurting, Joker.”

“Then why did you. Why did you, uh, do this to me? Hmm? What reason did the great and, uh, powerful Batman have for beating me after. After it was clear I wasn’t a threat?”

Bruce shook his head. He knew why, but he wouldn’t, couldn’t tell the Joker. He’d gotten so close… So close to that edge. The edge of madness that Joker had been talking about since the very beginning. He was right, all it took was a little push.

Joker saw it all in his eyes, despite Bruce’s attempts to bury the truth.

Joker reached out a hand, toward the middle of Bruce’s chest, directly over the center of the bat symbol. He smiled again, soft and warm and intimate. The smile Bruce liked to imagine was only for him. 

“I’m always gonna be in here Brucey, whether or not I’m alive, well, it doesn’t matter, not, uh, in the end. You have me. Completely.” 

Joker took his hand away, and with it he took Bruce’s heart.


End file.
